AN: I don't own Naruto or Star Wars.

Quick note, I'll be using these brackets { } to identify that a creature is speaking an alien language from now on, just so you all can read what is being said and know it's not Galactic Basic. It'll only show up towards the end, but I figured I'll let you know in advanced.

So, with that out of the way, onto the chapter!

The Senate Building was unlike anything Naruto had seen in the galaxy. He couldn't see everything in the actual chamber, but from the open doors nearby he could see a few of the sets they had. Closing his eyes, he imagined it being filled with thousands of senators, in rows upon rows of the various species that inhabited the many universes.

If anyone asked what Naruto loved about this place, it would be the number of beings that were here. If there were any place that spoke volumes about how many beings were in the universe, what kind of places he could go to, and just how many billions of people were in the universe. Even cooler was the idea that these people in this room were the ones who had been given the trust of their people and through them they'd tell the Jedi when they needed assistance on their worlds.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto slowly shook his head. He was getting too excited, and despite the fact he was trying to focus, he was getting distracted just a bit too much. Turning to where Qui-gon was patiently waiting, he quickly ran over to catch up. "Sorry, I just got lost in thought for a second."

"It's alright Naruto, there's no harm done." Qui-gon said with a gentle smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Let's go, the Viceroy is waiting."

Naruto nodded, eyes looking to where they were heading. It was still a ways away, which meant that there was still a large amount that he could see on their way there. He tried to keep his jaw closed as he walked through the halls to keep from looking out of place like a fool, but found himself pausing on occasion to gawk. Thankfully Qui-gon was kind and patient, and let him have a moment to take everything in before calling for him to catch up.

Despite the few pauses, they soon found themselves in front of the conference room where the Viceroy and the senator were seated. Stepping in, both Qui-gon and Naruto bowed to the duo with a soft smile. "Senator. Viceroy."

The senator glanced to the Viceroy Gunray, who slowly stood up. Hesitating briefly, he slowly returned the bow as well. "Welcome, master Jedi." His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Naruto, looking rather skeptical at his appearance for a second before returning his attention to Qui-gon. "I am pleased to see that the Jedi are taking our plight seriously."

Qui-gon nodded slowly, seating himself across from the Senator with Naruto sitting across from Gunray. Gunray slowly sat down himself, taking a deep breath as he leaned back. As he did so, the Senator sat forwards to take over for a second. "If you recall, our people have been accused of attacking the Wookiees with our battle droids." Shaking his head, he looked to them with a pleading look. "We did not create our army for this. Our army is to protect our people, our ships, and our trade goods. To have someone take them and use them in such a manner is disgraceful and we will not stand for it."

"We understand your concern." Qui-gon said slowly, taking in their expressions silently. "I understand you said that this shipment was stolen from you. Is there anything more you can tell us about this? Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated."

The senator opened his mouth for a second, but was stopped as Gunray placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning to him, Gunray's face remained concerned, though he attempted to keep a stoic look. "Of course. What is it you'd like to know?"

"You said something about a droid shipment." Naruto said, recalling the replay of Gunray's plea to the Senate. "There was a…specific droid that you mentioned. Was there someone special about that particular droid compared to the others?"

"No." Gunray's reply was pointed, and to the point. "The DRN-thirty-eight was no more remarkable than the other droids except that it boasts a combat processor AI which allows it to relay battle information to the other droids. While this is not so much a vast improvement to the battle droids that we've built seeing how our signal system works quite well, it means we can let it go without needing to constantly supervise them every second."

Naruto nodded, thinking about it with a soft hum. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes and tried to think of everything that he knew about the Neimoidians and Wookiees. He'd had to catch up on the information after Qui-gon had invited him to this meeting.

"That means that it's likely that whatever they're doing on the planet requires the droids to be self-sufficient." Qui-gon tapped his knee gently, mind racing over what he knew about the planet. "It's likely that they're looking for something on the planet, and they're using the droids as a distraction to keep the local wildlife from bothering them."

"Then why did they attack the Wookiees?" Gunray asked, shaking his head. "Even if they were focused on attacking the local wildlife, we only run them on protocols to attack pirating vessels. The Wookiees vessel for a scout ship would be nothing of the sort."

"Maybe they were reprogramed to attack any ship that came into the system?" Naruto said, mentally able to envision that kind of reprogramming. "I mean, if they're all connected through a signal, then they would only need to change the signal."

Qui-gon nodded, a slight frown marring his face. "Likely they didn't hack the signal though, since your Trade Federation knows its programing fairly well. It's more plausible that they simply added a subprogram, which made them attack the Wookiees when they attempted to approach the planet."

Gunray looked surprised by this, and yet was remarkably calm. "I see. Then, if you were able to stop the droids?"

"Then we'd be able to figure out their purpose on the planet." Naruto replied, feeling rather assured about that.

"However, to clear your name we'll need to either find the central control tower where the signal is being broadcasted or the person who stole the droids from you." Qui-gon interjected, making sure that the two before him understood that there was more to it than just simply defeating the droids. "We won't have anything to base it off of though, which means we'll have to bring back the code for you and the Senators to double check to see what was changed."

The Neimoidians considered it for a moment, thinking about it silently. While it was obvious that they would need to rely heavily on the Jedi before them, the chance was likely that unless it were a group that the thief could escape. Muttering softly to themselves, they turned back to the two with a look of uncertainty. "And, how can you promise that our name will be cleared? Obviously this will make any negotiations between us and the Wookiees go far sour seeing how it appears that our droids are attacking them. Someone is trying to sully our good name, and I want confirmation that you will be able to get the information."

Qui-gon was silent, knowing already that there was nothing he could truly do to promise this. Naruto on the other hand frowned at that and crossed his arms. "Didn't you hear him? There's more than one way to find the truth. So all we have to do is get at least one of them, and your name will be cleared." Thinking about it, Naruto shrugged. "I personally want to catch the thief so that they don't steal from you again, but even if we don't get them we'll get you the coding changed in the signal. That way you can make the signal unhackable."

"And you are sure that you can find the signal?" Gunray asked, looking quite skeptical. Obviously he didn't like the fact that the person who was informing of this was a young boy, but he knew that the Jedi's youth were quite astute for their age.

Naruto shrugged. "We have the technology to find it, so it shouldn't be hard to find. And if we catch them, then we'll get them to take us to it."

Qui-gon couldn't help but blink slowly at how confident Naruto sounded in this situation. In front of two rather important people, leaders on their worlds, he sat calmly and confidently spoke to them without fear. Slowly, his lips curled into a smile before he returned his gaze to them. "He's right. So long as we're able to find them, we'll be able to find the signal. And if we don't find them, we will find the signal and clear your name."

The senator seemed more relieved from what they said, but Gunray's frown remained on his face, considering their options silently. Looking between them, he hummed softly as he tapped his knee slowly. "I can see you seem confident in yourselves. Rest assured, we do believe in you as well. However, we would feel that we have…slighted you, should we let you go in alone. With your permission, and the permission of the Wookiees, we'd be happy to send in a battalion of battle droids under the command of the Wookiees to assist them in taking out the droids that have been attacking them."

Both Jedi blinked slowly at this proclamation, caught off guard by this. The Trade Federation were known to keep a tight hold on their droids, and getting them without paying money for them was near impossible. However, not only were they offering them, they were doing it of their own volition. It was out of place, and seemed rather out of character from what they knew about them. Glancing to one another, Naruto shrugged and let Qui-gon take the lead as he had no idea what to do about this.

"We thank you for your generosity." Qui-gon said after a moment, speaking slowly as he thought about what they were offering. "We'll be sure to relay your message to the Wookiees, and we'll inform you of their decision as soon as they've informed us of their choice. Is there anything else we should tell them about while we're discussing this?"

"No, that should about do it." The senator said after a moment, getting a nod from the Viceroy. "In the meantime, we'll await your return, and the Wookiees choice concerning our offer."

"Of course." Qui-gon said, slowly standing up and bowed to them. "Thank you for your time and for the information you've provided us."

"Of course." Gunray said, inclining his head slightly in a nod to Qui-gon. "We trust that your skills will meet the task, and that we'll be seeing the results of your mission soon enough, I'm sure."

Naruto stood next to Qui-gon and bowed to the pair. "Of course. Until we see you again, may the Force be with you."

Gunray stared at Naruto silently, seeming to mull over his reply. Finally, he bowed ever so slightly back. "And may the Force be with you as well."

x-=-x

Naruto frowned as they left the room. He gave himself enough time for them to walk away before turning to Qui-gon with a soft whine. "Battle droids?"

Qui-gon chuckled, knowing the infamy of Naruto's disdain of droids. "Don't worry, I doubt that the Wookiees will accept their offer, generous as it is. Granted, they'd be a boon and it's possible that we'd be able to use them later, but the Wookiees are a proud people who will not accept something like droids assistance so easily. It's likely that while we're on the planet, should you be where you can see it, you'll see the Wookiees rip the limbs off of droids."

"Rip their limbs off? Whoa…" Naruto blinked, recalling a point where he'd said he'd challenge a Wookie at some point in the future. Knowing this information made him pause and look down at his hands. "Looks like I've got another thing to add to my 'to do' list…"

"Excuse me, are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Eh?" Naruto stumbled, hearing his name from someone foreign. Glancing around, he blinked as one of the senators approached him with a smile, looking right at him. "Um, yeah that's me. Can I…help you?"

"My apologies if I'm interrupting anything," The man glanced to Qui-gon who merely shook his head before continuing. "My name is Senator Palpatine, representative of Naboo."

Naruto's eyes widened and he suddenly looked far more attentive. "Oh wow, I…" Bowing quickly, he found himself unsure what to say. "It's…um, I mean." Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. "I remember hearing about you, I just didn't think I'd get to meet you in person. Last I'd been told you were on Naboo discussing the Gungans presence on Naboo."

"Well, yes I was. However, I was privileged to have those discussions go quite smoothly, and merely had to get the proper documentation from King Veruna." Palpatine smiled gently, eyes falling to the lightsaber Naruto had strapped to his belt. "I see that you're using the gift he gave you."

"Hm? Oh yeah." Naruto brushed his fingers against the cool chrome metal. "I was really surprised that he gave it to me personally. I mean, I was hoping for something of Naboo make but…nothing like this."

Qui-gon raised a brow at that, having not heard about this tale. Perhaps more surprising was the fact that Naruto had not gone about boasting about it upon arriving back in the temple. Letting himself step back, he decided to simply listen to see what had happened.

"My boy, what you did for Naboo was nothing short of spectacular." Palpatine said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Their systems had been down for months, and within not even a day, you'd proved to be more than capable of besting the devices of the saboteur."

"But…he got away." Naruto's hand slowly went to his throat, the memory of his grip in the Force and his words still quite clear in his mind.

"Perhaps," Palpatine said slowly, a soft chuckle slipping past his lips as he continued. "But then, justice always does have a funny way of taking care of things."

"Well it needs to get it done faster…" Naruto grumbled softly, shaking his head.

"A sentiment I'm sure most people here would quite openly welcome." Palpatine said with a chuckle. Looking behind him, he seemed to take note of something and sighed heavily. "Sadly, those kinds of matter are what I must attend to at this very moment. However, I do wish to pass on something before I leave."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a data card. Handing it to Naruto, he let the boy turn it over in his hands in confusion as he examined it thoroughly. After spending three months in Naboo, he was able to recognize the artistic patterns found there, though otherwise he could see no difference from any other data card he'd ever received. "Um…thank you?"

Palpatine chuckled, seeing through Naruto's transparent mask. "It a Naboo made data card, nothing overly special about it. However, I thought you might be interested in keeping in contact with those you got to know back on Naboo. It was mentioned that you'd made some friends there, and I figured that Jedi or not, you might wish to keep those connections. As such, I had the king send this with me, and he asked that I extend an open door to you should you ever require it. I'd be happy to have someone help transmit your messages to my world, as well as pass on any that are sent back in return."

Naruto's eyes widened, and suddenly the simple data card seemed much, much more valuable. A way to speak to his friends on Naboo? And somewhere he could receive the messages beside the temple, where he'd feel he was under constant scrutiny? Slowly, Naruto bowed to Palpatine, this time with far more respect than his previous quick bowing. "Thank you so much. I-I don't know what to say."

"There is no need." Palpatine said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I hope that all goes well for you on your journey, and perhaps, we'll continue to cross paths every so often."

"Yeah, of course." Naruto said, grinning brightly. "I'd be happy to meet up with you again at some point. It's a promise!"

"Well then, I look forward to that meeting." Palpatine nodded to Naruto, and then gave a slight bow to Qui-gon. "Until then."

Naruto watched the man go, fingers brushing against the data card gently for several moments. As his mind wandered, his mind slowly reminded him that he hadn't come alone, and that the person with him was a Jedi Master. Turning to Qui-gon slowly, he glanced to his face to check his reaction.

If there was any disapproval in the man's face, he couldn't see it. From what he could tell, Qui-gon appeared far more surprised than anything. "Well then, that was unexpected."

"Um, what do you mean?" Naruto asked as he slowly slipping the data chip into his pocket.

"Well," Qui-gon glanced down at him with a bemused smile. "For one, you didn't mention your adventures on Naboo when you got back, so I don't know what he referred to. And second is the fact that the senator essentially told you that he'd constantly be willing to speak with you, a high honor for someone so young." Crossing his arms, he made a motion for them to leave. "It seems you have some story-telling to do Naruto. Why don't you tell me of your adventure on Naboo while we head back to the Temple?"

Naruto was a bit caught off guard by his attitude upon realizing he'd been left out of the loop, but bounced back quickly. It took him only a moment to think on how best to start it, but eventually he found himself grinning as he began.

"Okay, so imagine me, a bunch of the training droids, and no lightsaber on a ship…"

x-=-x

Nute Gunray was a very smart Neimoidian. He'd gotten quite far during the Stark Hyperspace War, which had elevated him to his current rank as Viceroy. Shortly after that, he'd struck a deal with the mysterious Darth Sidious who'd helped him rid many of the Trade Federation Directorate and appoint a council completely comprised of Neimoidians. With his hands untied, and an army of battle droids beginning to be built up, life had seemed good.

Moving to his suite, he fidgeted nervously as he considered his options. He already knew the first thing he had to do, but what had happened had shifted so quickly for him that he was almost as stunned as the rest of his people. He hadoriginally sent the droid army himself to Alaris Prime, but upon arrival they'd been hijacked by someone who'd been waiting for them. In a way, he'd been telling the truth to the senate and the Jedi, but the fact that someone had been waiting for their army to show up so they could utilize the opportunity to take control of their droids was unthinkable. And then they'd attacked a Wookiee survey ship, which was making their standing in the Senate look far worse that it may have been otherwise.

Scowling softly at that, his hand gripped the communicator tightly. It was an option, he knew this, but he already knew that doing so was also foolhardy. Sidious did not like dealing with the Jedi, and often would have him do something to redirect the Jedi away from any activities they needed assistance with before it was completed. This time though, he'd been unable to get in contact with Sidious to help take care of things before they had gotten out of hand, and he'd been forced to turn to the Senate and the Jedi.

Recalling the meeting room, he scoffed at what he remembered. "A child. Nothing more than a child, and they expect someone like him to be capable of defeating our battle droids?"

While he obviously wouldn't be alone, and the Wookiees made up for any child, the very fact that they'd had him at such an important meeting insulted him. This was a matter of business, of honor, and of money.

Through some of the surveys he'd received, and others he'd had stolen from the Wookiees, there were rich deposits of gems and ore on the planet. Enough so that they could continue to fuel the buildup of their army and increase it by perhaps another one to five percent. While a seemingly insignificantly low amount, in the long run that would mean that the battle droids would be increased by at least ten to fifty for every thousand battle droids. With hundreds of thousands of droids put into production, that number would begin to add up quite quickly.

Sitting down at his table, he placed the communicator on it and stared at it. Could he really trust this Sidious? If he were unable to get the results he wanted from the Jedi, how would he be able to get even so much as his toes brushing along the surface of Alaris Prime? Even his show of generosity was a cover, the true purpose of the battle droids to find and destroy the other droids so that they could take the signal first so that when the senate asked what went wrong they could have something to show for it even if the Jedi did not. With the proud Wookiees as their potential traveling companions though, he did not harbor any strong ideas that they would allow his creations to come anywhere close to them, even if they were on their side.

Growling, he pushed the communicator away. He would be patient this time. While he knew that as a man of action he could get more accomplished, he was also one who – though deemed through others eyes as a coward – understood the value of utilizing what others had as much as what he had. And in this case, the Jedi were offering to solve his problem. So, for now, he'd watch, wait, and prepare in case the worst happened.

x-=-x

Attichitcuk was an older, wise Wookiee who'd seen many years pass by him. He was a Wookiee of strong standing amongst his people, and in this most recent decade been a very vocal advocate in the senate asking for the Wookiees to be given the colonization rights to Alaris Prime. And now they had it. They had the authority to go and accomplish this goal, and set themselves up so that they might be able to expand a bit further into the galaxy.

There was just the issue of the Trade Federation's army suddenly landing on the planet and attacking their surveyors before they could continue their work. Their presence had troubled him, and while he held no ill will towards them, he had made it very clear that their presence was unwanted and that he and his people desired them gone. Now.

So, as he sat across from the Jedi who were telling him that the Trade Federation wanted to 'assist' them by sending another battalion of droids to help flush out their enemies, it was understandable that there was a hint of bite to his voice as he spoke. {No, we do not require the assistance of the Trade Federation. You may thank them for their assistance, however, we will not.}

Qui-gon sighed softly, and Attichitcuk understood that his response was expected. "Of course, I'll be sure to inform them of that when we speak with them." Glancing up to Attichitcuk, he smiled wryly. "Is there anything else you wish for me to convey while I am speaking with them?"

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. {No, you've done more than enough for me and my people. We are grateful for your assistance, and that you are coming to help find the source of this problem.} Hearing something bumping around, he leaned back and howled loud enough that it echoed in the back room slightly. {Be careful with that!}

"Sorry! I didn't – I mean, I just…sorry!"

Qui-gon glanced to Naruto, who had been inspecting some of the items that the Wookiees had with them curiously and chuckled. "I apologize if he seems…overzealous about everything. He's only left the temple twice now, and everything in the galaxy is still quite new to him."

{Don't worry, I understand.} Attichitcuk said, waving off the Jedi's worries. {My son, the one the youngling is speaking with, required some freedom himself some time ago, to travel the stars and see it all for himself. It's not an uncommon feeling after all, especially when you discover that you aren't alone or stuck in one spot in the universe.}

Chuckling softly, Qui-gon nodded as he recalled his time as a youngling, traveling the star with his master. It had seemed so long ago, especially with some of the missions he'd been on that had drained him at times, and made him feel old. When he thought of that he resisted the urge to groan and shake his head. Here he was, thinking of how old he felt when the being that sat across from him was likely three times as old if not older and still got up and gave rousing speeches before the senate.

{Still, the exploration of the universe is what has once more brought us back to this point.} Attichitcuk said, shifting in place with a soft grunt. {After all this time of waiting, struggling with the politics, and working to find a solution, we were given the right to do this, and now we are having it blocked from our grasp as someone wished to attack and keep us from the very planet we have worked so hard for.} Shaking his head, a soft rumble came from him once more. "There are some very foolish people who still roam this galaxy it seems.}

"Perhaps, but then their foolishness is often something that we must use as a device to teach those who are young to prevent them from doing so themselves." Qui-gon replied as he recalled many things he'd taught Obi-wan that had been changed from things he'd failed at as a padawan.

Hearing a soft grunting from behind them, the two looked to Naruto. Having seen the bowcaster that the Wookiees had brought with them, Naruto had apparently asked if he could look at it. From what he could tell, it seemed that Attichitcuk's son had then placed it in Naruto's arms and let him struggle for a second. Keeping a hand on his shoulder to prevent Naruto from falling, he knelt next to the boy and gently began tapping his knees and back. Despite the language barrier between them, Naruto slowly shifted his stance and straightened his back, allowing the weight to be pushed from his back to his legs. While it still didn't give him a snowballs chance at actually using the weapon, it allowed him to carry it despite its weight and his own size working against him.

"And perhaps, sometimes we simply need to teach things as they should be taught. I'm guessing those are some things that your son picked up from you?" Qui-gon asked, chuckling softly.

Attichitcuk grunted in approval, getting a glance from his son to nodded back to him. {My son has learned many things, and he has always been a good leader…in his own way.}

"I understand." Qui-gon said, glancing between the two groups before closing his eyes with a resigned sigh. "Attichitcuk, there's another reason I came here. After discussing the conditions of the droid army on the world, the Jedi Council wished to know if you would be comfortable with a second group of Jedi coming with you…but that their presence not be made known to the rest of the Wookiees until we arrive on the planet."

Attichitcuk leaned forwards, understanding that this was likely meant mainly for his ears only. {And why is it that we need keep this a secret from my people? Is there a matter of trust not between us?}

"It's not that, it's just that this has been discussed for a long time, and your people have fought hard for this. The fact that someone is stepping in, and attempting to cut you off right as you've achieved this worries them. They fear that someone may be plotting against you, and that should they learn of two teams of Jedi coming to Alaris Prime they may either run or become more aggressive."

{…I see.} Attichitcuk sighed, stroking his chin in thought. {My people will not appreciate this plan as well as you might think, however I will speak with them. Hopefully they'll understand the wisdom behind this…} Attichitcuk gave Naruto a sidelong glance, a thought occurring to him. {That wouldn't happen to be your apprentice, would it?}

"No, that's the other Jedi Master's apprentice." Qui-gon frowned at the question, not understanding why he'd been asked such a strange question.

Attichitcuk nodded. {I understand. It was wise of you to bring him here now, before we set out. Letting Chewbacca get the scent of his allies and meet them face to face should keep him or other Wookiees from attacking him should they meet before the boy and his master have found the droid control center.}

Qui-gon's eyes widened at that, realizing what he meant. He hadn't been thinking quite that far ahead when he'd brought Naruto, but looking back it not only made sense, but gave him a sense of relief in knowing that Naruto's presence would help him in the future.

Standing up, Attichitcuk waved his paw to Naruto and Qui-gon. {We shall see each other soon enough. For now, we shall rest and prepare ourselves for travel the day after next. Thank you again for your assistance master Jedi.} Turning to Naruto, he chuckled softly as Naruto still struggled with the bowcaster. {And thank you for coming. It's always nice to see the newest generation of Jedi.}

Naruto glanced between him and Qui-gon, unsure what to say. "Um…yes?"

Both Attichitcuk and Chewbacca chuckled at this, Chewbacca even patting him on the head before taking the bowcaster so that Naruto could straighten himself out.

"Um…did I say something wrong?" Naruto asked, still silently cursing his lack of knowledge with Shyriiwook.

Qui-gon shook his head patting Naruto's shoulder. "No, just not the answer they expected. Come on Naruto, we've a…interesting journey ahead of us."

Naruto beamed brightly, giving Qui-gon a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I'm ready for anything!"

AN: This chapter was going to be annoying no matter how I wrote it, so I decided to just knock it out. Next chapter we get to have some fun with Alaris Prime, as well as begin the search for our mysterious 'friend' who hijacked the Trade Federation's droid army. Who is this person? It's probably not who you think it is, but then I'm sure some of you are really good guessers.

So guess away, and I'll see you on the next chapter of From Darkness.